Sept. 5-afternoon game (87°, clear) in Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California (20,953)
Of the 31 points BYU put on the board, the defense scored 12 via Todd Shell's interception return and Tom Holmoe's blocked punt.
Three interceptions and one fumble recovery also were credited to the BYU defense.
The offense seemed to find the grove early, with quarterback Jim McMahon throwing for 403 yards in the first three quarters.
The receivers were sensational with a total of eight Cougars catching passes from McMahon and backup quarterback Steve Young. However, BYU threw zero touchdown passes to end a 30-game consecutive streak of throwing a touchdown pass.
BYU now 1-0 and ranked 15th by AP and 19th by UPI.